Chapter 357: Chapter 357

Jang Sam-tae was standing in the middle of a mountain, not knowing where he was.

There was not a single sign of human presence anywhere.

If one had to find a trace of human life there, would it be a shabby tent barely suitable for a single person to live in? It was so worn out that wind would likely howl right through it when the cold winter arrived.

Not to mention the food that had always filled his stomach, there was not even a single warm blanket to be seen, and Dan So-mi, who was no exaggeration to say was everything to Jang Sam-tae, was nowhere to be found either.

The only saving grace was that Dan Woo-hyun, Sa Do-hak, or Jeok Mu-seong, who had tortured him, were not in sight, but that alone could not fully describe this feeling.

Jang Sam-tae stared ahead with a dazed look.

A man standing with an air of noble detachment.

One who stood blankly with an indifferent expression, watching Jang Sam-tae.

Was he called Sam-gwang?

Was his name Sam-gwang?

An acquaintance of Dan Woo-hyun, and a powerful being strong enough to face three of the Five Emperors at the same time.

The mere presence he exuded just by standing there made one wonder if this single person could flip heaven and earth upside down.

The man gently strolled around the area and spoke.

“Do you know what is needed to become strong?”

“…….”

Jang Sam-tae did not answer.

He just stared at the man with an absurd look.

Paying no heed to such a gaze, the man continued speaking. As if teaching someone, the expression of a person intoxicated with a sense of superiority while teaching everything he possessed was revealed.

“It is the leg power to move as fast as a flash of light, and the fist that can easily shatter steel with strength.”

Hearing those words, Jang Sam-tae’s eyebrows twitched.

It was completely invisible what he was thinking, but the words spitting out of the man’s mouth probably felt preposterous to him.

“Of course, that is not all. It is the strong mental power and perseverance to break through even when facing death. What you will learn from now on is precisely this.”

The man looked at Jang Sam-tae with a gentle smile.

An expression of certainty that when he learned and mastered all of this, he would become a different person from who he was now, was clearly revealed.

It was a look of pride, or a determination to make it happen.

Jang Sam-tae grinned as he looked at that.

It was the greatest smile of his entire life.

“Fuck off.”

At the casually spat words, the man’s expression crumpled.

However, he also grinned and picked up a club that had fallen on the ground.

“No, that bastard is hopeless.”

“No, damn it! You have to say something that makes sense for me to understand! If you just hit steel with your fist, does it shatter? Does that make any sense?!”

Returning to the Hunan Dan Family, Jang Sam-tae and Cheon Mu-gwang complained as if competing with each other, bothering Dan Woo-hyun. They had only gone to train for half a day, so what could they possibly have so much to talk about?

A long sigh escaped Dan Woo-hyun’s mouth.

“I get it, so stop. How are you two so alike?”

“Alike with a guy like this! Brother! That is an insult!”

“Ha! Lord! I would rather you curse at me!”

Jang Sam-tae and Cheon Mu-gwang glared at each other.

At the same time their eyes met, it felt as though a growling sound could be heard. That was how much they were grinding their teeth at each other. Just what on earth had happened on the mountain for them to be so eager to tear each other apart?

The sigh on Dan Woo-hyun’s lips showed no signs of fading.

“In the first place, Brother. What can one teach to a guy who does not even understand the basics of martial arts? It is to the point where I understand why you just left him alone.”

Cheon Mu-gwang frowned.

To learn martial arts, one must understand its basic concepts. Yet Jang Sam-tae knew nothing and did not even make an effort to know anything.

Since he acted and spoke in a way that said ‘whatever happens, happens,’ Cheon Mu-gwang also felt his stomach burning with frustration.

As he huffed and puffed with a bright red face, Jang Sam-tae also seemed to have something to say, approaching Dan Woo-hyun and grumbling.

“No, Lord, think about it. Internal energy is not some child’s play, so if you tell me to increase it all of a sudden, does that work? And even telling me to move like lightning and shatter steel? Is that even human?”

Jang Sam-tae grumbled with an absurd expression.

Every single word Cheon Mu-gwang spat out was something that did not apply to Jang Sam-tae. Every martial artist had their own unique color and level, but to suddenly tell him to move like lightning and shatter steel was nothing short of frustrating from Jang Sam-tae’s perspective.

“Hey, when did I tell you to do that right now? I was telling you to learn it!”

“Humanly speaking, how can a person become like that just by learning it?!”

“Look at this frustrating bastard?”

“Agh, you frustrating person! I really won’t live to my natural age because of you!”

The two started bickering again, raising their voices. Since neither backed down an inch as if their own opinion was absolute, their voices grew louder and the noise doubled as it spread.

“…….”

“Those two, I mean.”

Namgung Cheon, who had approached at some point, let out an awkward laugh.

Whether he was trying to talk about what he felt while quietly watching those two, the moment he gently parted his lips, Dan Woo-hyun reached out and covered Namgung Cheon’s mouth.

“I think I know what you are trying to say, so do not say it.”

“Haha, but isn’t he quite an interesting fellow? Even that strength… I mean.”

Namgung Cheon paused and looked at Dan Woo-hyun.

A divine might that did not push back at all even against three of the Five Emperors. Moreover, the fact that he harbored a demonic energy like Sa Do-hak in his body brought a certain person to mind.

However, it was hard to believe, and even if one believed it, it did not make sense.

‘Then again, an even more nonsensical person is right in front of my eyes…’

The Martial God.

A being truly called a legend.

Since a man from a thousand years ago, whom one could hardly believe was human, was right before his eyes, would it be strange even if the already dead Three Heavens appeared again?

Many mysterious stories had been passed down in this Jianghu since ancient times, so Namgung Cheon was sending a look of conviction.

“…….”

However, Sa Do-hak was only staring at Cheon Mu-gwang without saying a word. Out of everyone here, he was the one most bothered by his presence.

If Namgung Cheon’s thoughts were correct, the person in front of them was definitely a supreme being whom Sa Do-hak could never raise his head to look at.

“Why, do you not have that feeling?”

Namgung Cheon asked, glancing at Sa Do-hak.

Usually, if Sa Do-hak had noticed to some extent, he had the personality to go and ask directly, yet he kept his mouth shut and was just watching intently.

At Namgung Cheon’s question, Sa Do-hak pointed at Cheon Mu-gwang with his chin.

“Look at that.”

“Hmm?”

Sa Do-hak frowned as he looked at Cheon Mu-gwang.

He was standing side-by-side with none other than Jang Sam-tae. They were looking at each other, shouting and venting their anger as they spat out curses.

No matter how or where one looked at it, he seemed to be nothing but the exact same kind of human as Jang Sam-tae.

“A person like that is that man? You should limit your jokes.”

“Ah… Haha…”

Sa Do-hak turned his head away, denying reality.

He recalled how the people of the Namgung Clan had pretended not to see Namgung Cheon and passed by him last time. He thought their feelings might have been similar to this.

‘Absolutely not!’

The Cheon Mu-gwang of the Three Heavens in his head was not a person like that.

The one who united the members of the Demonic Cult to establish the Heavenly Demon Cult, and created the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which was still praised as the greatest martial art, receiving the respect of all cult members.

A legend like that was on the same level as Jang Sam-tae?

Because he never wanted to admit it, Sa Do-hak unconsciously turned away from this entire situation.

“Ah, damn! I told you it really isn’t!”

“You damn bastard! Hey, kid! I have lived way more years than you!”

“So what!?”

The sound of the two bickering spread loudly.

At the same time, Sa Do-hak and Dan Woo-hyun let out sighs.

They seemed at a loss for what to do.

“Is the Great Master alright?”

At Dang Jung-ak’s question, Paeng Do-woong nodded. However, not to mention the people around them, even the two themselves did not look good.

They had achieved the goal of rescuing the vanguard.

However, as a result, the Blood Heaven started to move, forcing countless small and medium sects and families under their feet to expand their influence.

This was by no means a situation that could be accepted with a light laugh.

Many forces started to defect or bow beneath them, and since this was by no means a good phenomenon, the Heavenly Sword Alliance was also shaking rapidly.

They subjugated the orthodox people with overwhelming power. Sometimes they shed blood along with power, and other times they reached out a hand and gave authority and wealth.

As one or two places began to yield, other places that had been testing the waters also bowed their heads one by one, entering under them.

It was a situation where places that originally could not make a name for themselves due to being squeezed by the Eight Great Families or the Nine Sects and One Gang, frequently bowed their heads to them without hesitation, as if this was their chance.

The Nine Sects and One Gang or the Eight Great Families that had represented this Murim for a long time.

Because they were so stagnant, there was no greater opportunity than this for those who wanted to make a new name for themselves.

In just a few days, the plate of the Central Plains had changed.

“We are currently trying our best to block them with Hubei as the boundary… but how long we can hold out…”

“Since Wudang’s power has weakened, are they the ones aiming for that spot?”

“It appears so.”

The place where they were staying was Hubei.

They had rescued the vanguard at Wudang and could not take the injured people far away. That was why they were staying in a safe house of the Murim Alliance, but the people of the Blood Heaven were surrounding them on all sides as if they had been waiting, binding them.

“Not only that, but the sects belonging to the Murim Alliance in Hubei are also joining the Blood Heaven one after another. I think it is only a matter of time before half of the orthodox Murim becomes the Blood Heaven.”

“……Indeed.”

Paeng Do-woong let out a long sigh, huffing.

There was no way out.

If things turned out this way, the standard method would be to take them back one by one. However, with the current power of the Heavenly Sword Alliance, just breaking through what was right in front of them was too much.

“How about drawing some power from Sichuan?”

Paeng Do-woong asked Dang Jung-ak.

At least Sichuan was intact. While it was partly because it was the farthest from the headquarters of the Blood Heaven and thus less affected, it was also because the power of the Sichuan Tang Family was great, so no one could easily turn their back on the Tang Family.

However, Dang Jung-ak groaned.

“Even if we send a carrier pigeon, it will take several days to arrive. Moreover, it takes time to get all the way here… By the time they arrive, wouldn’t we already be corpses? Hahaha.”

At Dang Jung-ak’s laughter, many people, including Paeng Do-woong, frowned invisibly.

It was because Dang Jung-ak’s intention was obvious.

He seemed to have no intention of shaving off the combat power of the Sichuan Tang Family. This was because he knew that even if they reclaimed the Central Plains Murim later, those who would target the weakened Eight Great Families would surely appear.

Paeng Do-woong was inwardly displeased but had to accept it.

Trying to preserve one’s combat power was the same for everyone, and even if it were not, Dang Jung-ak’s words were not exactly wrong.

A way to reclaim this Hubei right now.

At that moment, Dang Jung-ak spoke with a grin.

“How about asking the Hunan Dan Family?”

At his words, Namgung Yong, who had kept his mouth shut until now, looked back at Dang Jung-ak. His eyes sank and showed no signs of changing.

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